Matchmaker
by Naotoki Yamanouchi
Summary: Sick of seeing Aiolia and Marin act like total idiots around each other, Milo and Kanon hash a plan to get the two together. Unfortunately, no one in Sanctuary is safe from their scheming. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is based off a role play I did a while back with AuroraExecution and NiteSkye. I found it in my email and decided to re-write it into a story. I had the original up a while back, but I took it down when we lost time to play and the events were rather crazy and didn't roll together. This re-write, while loosely based on the RP, will be much different. Enjoy the madness! (Yes, I was taking the crazy pills. My name IS Naotoki after all)

Aiolia of Leo looked at the heavy chains that bound his wrists to his chair. He experimentally pulled at them, but whatever chains Milo had used to tie him down held firm. He groaned, the sound lost in the gag the deranged Scorpio had stuffed in his mouth to cut off his complaints. The chair was facing a wall, so he couldn't see anything going on around him...

They were driving him to near madness. He could hear the voices behind him-Aphrodite's girlish giggles, Milo and Kanon's excited chatter, and Camus's reluctant utterances, mostly telling Milo to let him go-and the scent in the air was making him physically ill. The entire temple smelled of at least a dozen different colognes and perfumes and the stench was making his eyes water and it was becoming a struggle for him to keep his lunch down.

His skin felt clammy as he broke into a cold sweat. He was not feeling well at all, the combination of physical illness and nerves gnawing at him. How long would they keep him here? Wasn't the whole plan for him to go on a date with Marin? People didn't go on dates wrapped in chains...

"What's going on in here?" a stern voice demanded. "I can smell this crap all the way in Capricorn Temple! Why are you stinking up Lady Athena's sacred palaces?"

Aiolia's heart leapt in elation. Shura. Shura wouldn't let them do this to him.

"Oh. Hello, Shura", Milo greeted, sounding as though holding a fellow Gold saint hostage in a temple-turned-gas-chamber was a common occurrence. Especially when the temple you were holding your comrade hostage in was said hostage's own temple. "How are you this fine day?"

Shura ignored the pleasantries.

"Why is Aiolia tied up? And why are you holding Camus by his hair?"

"Oh, Kanon and I are setting him up on a date with Marin. Camus here keeps trying to escape. He doesn't want to help us."

"You can't kidnap people, Milo. What you're doing is wrong"

Yes! He was free! Shura was going to stop the madness!

"But as this is Aiolia, I think I can turn a blind eye just this once. This insanity with Aiolia and Marin has gone on long enough. Someone's got to do something."

Aiolia's heart deflated. Was everyone against him?

"Gee, thanks, Shura", Camus muttered sarcastically.

"Oh, I have to go get Marin. See you guys in a little bit", Aphrodite's dreamy voice rang through the air.

"Remember to bring her to your temple first. You'll need to measure her before you can take her dress shopping."

"Yes, Kanon. I am quite aware of the plan."

The smell of flowers suddenly overpowered all the other scents in the air as the Pisces Saint left the temple.

Aiolia wretched behind his gag. Shura was at his side in a flash, and he was out of the chains in nanoseconds . Aiolia pulled the gag out of his mouth and ran to the bathroom.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day", Milo commented. "Who knew Aiolia had such a weak stomach?"

"Not everyone can stomach the smell of all the stuff you and Aphrodite sprayed in the air.", Camus mumbled. " It's disgusting. How you could distinguish one from the other after the sixth one, I don't know...Plus it's possible to be allergic to perfume...can you let me go now?"

"We already covered this", Milo explained. "If I let go of your hair, you will run away, and I need you."

Camus muttered something under his breath in French.

"I heard that", Kanon said, a wicked smile on his face.

"You understand French? What'd he say?" Milo asked.

"I'll tell you when you're mature enough to understand it", Kanon replied, flicking Milo on the nose. "Though if you're going to do that, Camus, you might want to invest in an ax. More painful."

Camus chuckled.

Milo opened his mouth to retaliate, but stopped at the sound of moaning behind him.

All eyes turned to the pale-faced Leo Saint who had just staggered from the restroom.

"I told you tying him up was a bad idea. He looks absolutely sick. We can't have him looking that bad on his date!", Kanon snapped at Milo. "Marin will run away."

"He was trying to run away! You saw him!"

"Can we please get out of here?", Aiolia groaned before an argument could break out. "I need fresh air."

"Alright, everyone. Let's regroup in my temple", Milo said cheerfully.

Camus rolled his eyes.

"You're just loving this, aren't you?"

Milo ignored him. He grabbed Aiolia's wrist with his free hand and began dragging the Leo and Aquarius saints towards Scorpio Temple.

"Hey, where's Shura?", Kanon asked.

Four sets of eyes turned towards the Capricorn saint, who was attempting to tiptoe his way out before they realized he was still there.

"Shura! Run!", Camus called.

Before the Capricorn saint could get to the back entrance, Kanon was on him and pulling him back.

"Come now, no trying to escape."

And so the group headed, some more willingly than others, to the Scorpio Temple.

The trouble with friends, Aiolia mussed as Milo dragged him by the wrist, was that they always knew when there was something distracting you.

It had started so innocently, too...

"_You are so in denile"_

Milo's telepathic phrase had reached Aiolia's thoughts shortly after lunch.

"Shut it, Milo!"

If there was a ever a time Aiolia thought of the good-natured Scorpio saint as evil, it was when Milo was trying to pry into his love life.

"_You know, that's actually a good idea. Let's do something about it."_

"Wait, Milo! Don't do anything creepy."

"_Don't you worry your little head. You'll thank me for this later."_

"Can't you just Scarlet Needle the heck out of me if you want to torture me?"

"**Trust me, Kid", **Kanon joined their mental conversation. **"That's one attack you don't want on your body. Hurts like Hell."**

"_Yes, but withstanding fourteen strikes without losing your sanity is quite impressive."_

"You seem way too happy about that"

While Aiolia knew vaguely of Milo's attack on Kanon, he was content not knowing all the details.

"_Oh, I am. And I will be even happier once we get this taken care of. Kanon, meet me in Leo temple in fifteen minutes. I am going to go round up Camus."_

"**You got it"**

The mental connection broke and Aiolia's thoughts had become his own once more. He contemplated barricading the front and back entrances of Leo Temple, but lacked anything big enough to do that with.

Maybe he could go hide with Aldebarran and Mu until the insanity died down...

_**I don't think that's going to work, Bro.**_

Aiolia turned towards his brother's ghostly outline.

"Well, I don't exactly see you helping me."

Aiolos chuckled.

_**What do you want me to do? I'm a ghost, remember?**_

"Why do you stay in the Sanctuary, anyway?"

The ghost feigned a hurt look.

_**Well, if you don't want me here, I'll just be on my way.**_

"Aiolos, wait..."

Too late, his brother was gone.

His fifteen minutes to plan his escape was also over. Kanon was coming into the front entrance carrying an assortment of whips, chains, gags, and blindfolds-a gift from Deathmask, he said-as Milo walked through the back entrance with a very disgruntled Camus. Though Aiolia supposed he would be disgruntled, too, if he had long hair and was being dragged around by it.

Aiolia had the sudden urge to bolt, and started to take off towards Cancer when Milo nearly took out his left knee cap with Scarlet Needle.

That was when he'd been pushed into a chair and strapped down, Kanon arguing that it wasn't a good idea to treat him so roughly before his date, and the whole mess had started. Aphrodite had arrived ten minutes after Milo, Kanon, and Camus, bringing with him his own set of torture devices.

Flash forward three hours, and they were where they were now, about to walk into Virgo Temple.

Shaka, who was seated on a cushion, enjoying a cup of tea, greeted them with a pleasant smile.

"What brings such a group into my home?"

Even though his eyes were closed, Aiolia had the feeling he could see exactly how they were walking through-Milo dragging Camus by his hair and Aiolia by his wrist, Kanon holding Shura's hands securely behind his back.

"We're setting Aiolia and Marin on a date", Milo replied.

"I see...I do not know much about dating...", Shaka spoke benignly, as he always did, though there was a rare edge of humor to his voice. "...but are the people doing the dating not supposed to be doing so by their own free will?"

"This is Aiolia and Marin we're talking about", Kanon reminded him. To Shura he added "Kick me again and I will break both your arms"

Milo was staring at Shaka like a hungry wolf staring down a lamb.

"You know, Shaka...we could use another guy to dress up like a girl tonight..."

"Absolutely not, Milo"

Shaka's pleasant demeanor slipped away and the iciness in the room made even Camus proud.

"Please, Shaka. There aren't many options on guys who can pull off girls. Can you imagine Deathmask in a dress?"

"What are you doing?", Kanon demanded, letting go of Shura in his shock. "Have you grown tired of living?"

Shura stood beside Kanon, too stunned to move.

Camus motioned to Milo's hands, silently pleading for Shura to cut them, not wanting to be caught in the middle of an attack.

Just as quickly as the tension in the room reached a suffocating level, it dissipated. Shaka slumped to the floor, unconscious, a rather serious-faced Aphrodite behind him. Next to Aphrodite stood Marin, looking every bit as confused as Aiolia felt.

"A-Aphrodite", Kanon gasped. "What did you do that for?"

Aphrodite rolled his eyes.

"He would have killed you. You are lucky Marin and I arrived when we did...now, no more wasting time."

The Pisces saint grabbed Shaka and tossed the unconscious Virgo over his shoulder before leading Marin towards his temple.

Aiolia couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear for the safety of the woman he loved and wondered if he would have been better off just confessing his feelings for her.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's chapter 2. The part with Marin and Aphrodite? That was kind of based off experience with my friend, who goes by the penname SereneIceDragon on this site. She's very natural when it comes to her appearance (and also a redhead), and I love all sorts of beauty products. Needless to say, she's been forced into wearing makeup and skirts and having her hair done by me several times. Enjoy!

Aiolia frowned as they stepped into Scorpio Temple. The stench was almost as strong there as it had been in Leo.

"Hm. Didn't think the scent would travel this far", Milo commented cheerfully.

Aiolia's stomach flip-flopped and he felt like throwing up again. He wasn't the only one suffering-Kanon's eyes were watering and he was leaning heavily on Shura's shoulder, trying not to put weight on his right leg. Shura and Camus were both grimacing.

"I hate you, Milo", Kanon ground out, his green eyes dancing with a flame that promised slow, painful revenge when this was over.

Shura and Camus nodded in agreement.

"You'll get over it", Milo replied, pulling out two chairs. He helped Shura get Kanon situated on one and motioned for the Gemini Saint to prop his leg up on the other. "It's not like this is your first time getting hit and it was only two strikes this time!"

After the incident with Shaka, Kanon had told Milo he'd gone far enough and had refused to take part in the mission any longer. He had been on his way back to Gemini when two hits from Milo's Scarlet Needle had effectively taken out his right leg. Milo had been serious in his threat that he would punish anyone who tried to escape. Come Hell or high water, they were going to suffer together.

"Alright, first things first. Who here actually owns a suit?"

Aiolia, Kanon, and Shura all stared back at him blankly.

Milo was not surprised. He suspected that he and Camus were the only ones who owned suits.

"We'll have to go into town and visit a suit shop."

"I don't want to wear a suit", Aiolia protested.

The Scorpio Saint rolled his eyes.

"You have to. We're going somewhere real nice tonight. When people go out to fancy places, they wear dresses if they are women and suits if they are men."

"Well, they don't necessarily need suits", Camus pointed out, and for a moment, Aiolia looked hopeful. "Dress pants, a collared shirt, and a tie usually satisfies the dress requirement."

The Leo Saint visually deflated.

"So either way, I have to wear the tie?"

The Leo Saint looked so uncomfortable his comrades almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Then they remembered if he hadn't been so stupid when it came to asking Marin out they wouldn't be in this mess anyway.

"How's your leg, Kanon?", Milo asked.

The Gemini Saint glared at Milo.

"Why don't you look at it and tell me? Oh, should I consider myself lucky that it was just two?"

Kanon swung his legs off the chair and stood up. For a moment, it looked like his leg would give out again, but he managed to stay upright. He turned and started to stalk off, only limping very slightly.

"Where are you going?", Milo demanded.

"I can't exactly go into town with you with my pants soaked in blood, now can I? The bleeding's stopped, so I am going to wrap my knee and change my clothes."

His voice was so sharp, even Milo knew it was best not to question him.

"Can you let go of my hair now, Milo? I am seriously starting to get a headache", Camus muttered.

"No. I'm not letting go until we are actually in town."

Camus decided not to tell Milo that escape would be easier in town, where they were forbidden to use their techniques. He could run a lot faster than the Scorpio under normal circumstances. All he really had to do was make a run for it and hop on a bus. He just needed to be patient.

While the guys were wasting the better part of two hours playing Musical Temples, Marin was quite confused as to why she had been whisked away to Aphrodite's house. The Pisces Saint was frantically going through his closet, searching for something. Even more confusing was why Shaka was lying across a plush-looking sofa, fast asleep.

"Ummm...Aphrodite?", Marin asked curiously. "Can you please explain to me what is going on?"

"Aha! Here it is!", the Pisces Saint declared, ignoring the girl's question.

He came into view a moment later, dragging with him a huge trunk. He flipped the trunk open, revealing enough Victoria's Secrets beauty supplies to stock the shelves of several stores. Lotions, body washes, body spritzers, perfumes, lipsticks, mascaras, blushes, eyeliners, eyeshadows, bronzers, concealers, nail polishes, nail files, and several things Marin couldn't identify filled the trunk to near overflowing.

"Is that your personal collection?", Marin questioned, feeling a little dazed. She had never seen one person with so many beauty products. She didn't even own makeup, used regular bar soap, and had one bottle of perfume she used when she went out to down. Before Athena had eliminated the mask rule, there had been no point in owning makeup since her face had to remain hidden anyway. After the mask rule was eliminated and female Saints were permitted to go without masks, she just hadn't felt the need to wear the stuff. The only person she was really interested in was Aiolia, and she knew he could care less if she wore makeup or not.

"This?", Aphrodite replied, digging through the trunk, taking inventory on its contents. "This is my overflow trunk. I put all the things I am not using in here. He motioned to the closet, and Marin peeked in, to find it lined with shelves full of beauty products. "That is my personal collection."

"Your hands", Aphrodite said. "When was the last time you had a manicure?"

Marin looked down at her hands. Come to think of it, her nails could use some filing down.

"I don't remember", the girl admitted.

"And this hair! We must do something with it!"

"Uhhh..."

Marin really didn't put much thought into her hair. It was a modest length and curly. She usually just let her curls do whatever they wanted, sometimes she'd pull it back in a ponytail.

Aphrodite pulled out a blow-dryer and flatiron, both very pink in color.

"You have electricity in here to be running those things?"

Aphrodite smiled.

"Yes. Lady Athena had electricity and running water installed in the temples."

Marin felt dizzy. She felt worse when Aphrodite pulled out a set of clothes, complete with lacy undergarments, two towels, a bottle of body wash that was apparently "romantic sweet-pea" scented, a new razor, and a body sponge. He then produced from thin air a new toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and mouthwash.

"Now, go through those doors and get yourself bathed and dressed. The shampoo and conditioner are already in the shower. Oh!" the blue-haired beauty added something else to the load in Marin's arms. "Can't forget the lotion and the pumice stone."

The girl stared at him.

"You use the pumice stone to grind away the dead skin on your feet. After you finish showering, you dry off, put on your undergarments, and use the lotion before dressing."

"Sexy Little Things Oh La La?", Marin questioned, nearly blushing at the name on the bottle.

"Just go. Make sure to brush your teeth and don't forget to shave!"

He practically shoved Marin into the bathroom and listened. Once he heard the water going and was sure she was doing as he instructed, he set up his own beauty station. The flat iron and blow-dryer were placed on the table, along with a nail file, nail polish, and makeup. All of it was in soft pinks and browns, colors he knew would compliment the girl's hair and skin colors.

Thirty minutes later, Marin reappeared. She looked over at Shaka, hoping maybe he would be awake and could help her out of this madness, but the Virgo Saint had merely curled onto his side, golden tresses spilling off the sofa and almost onto the floor.

"Did you check him to make sure he doesn't have a concussion?", Marin asked, causing the Pisces Saint to jump.

"He's fine. I drugged him when we got him here, that's why he's still sleeping."

Marin remembered Aphrodite helping Shaka drink some sort of tea when the man had appeared to be waking up.

Before she could question why Aphrodite had drugged the Virgo Saint, she was shoved into a very comfortable chair, her feet propped up on an equally comfortable foot rest. Aphrodite switched the chair on, and immediately, the girl felt her body relax as the chair's massage feature kicked in.

Aphrodite set to work. He started with her face.

"This is an astringent cleanser", he explained as he applied something cold to her face. The concoction made her skin tingle. After a few moments, he wiped it off and applied something else. Her skin tightened and felt like it was crawling.

"That's a clay mask", the Pisces Saint informed her. "It will remove impurities from the skin and shrink your pores."

Marin wanted to ask how much shrinking her pores could possibly do when she was only sixteen, but she felt too relaxed. Aphrodite was currently working on her hands, and he was doing a fine job massaging them with lotion.

It took over an hour, but eventually Marin's hair had been blow-dried and straightened, her hands and feet manicured and pedicured, complete with pale pink polish on her toes and a French manicure on her fingers, and makeup was applied to her face.

The girl stared back at herself in the mirror.

"That's really me?", she asked, taking in the wide brown eyes framed by long lashes. The dusting of pink shadow across her lids really made them pop. Her hair fell in a straight sheet to the small of her back and was far shinier than she could ever recall it being.

"It is. It still looks like you, only better. Makeup was never intended to create a new face. It was intended to enhance natural beauty-if you are not beautiful, then I am afraid all the makeup in the world can't help that", the Pisces Saint replied, giving her a warm smile. "Now, was that really so bad?"

"I suppose not", Marin admitted, looking down at her freshly painted fingernails. "It felt nice, in any case."

Aphrodite's smile widened.

"That's the spirit! Now that you look presentable, the real fun can begin!"

The sparkle in the Pisces Saint's blue eyes immediately brought a feeling of dread back to Marin.

"Real fun?", she asked.

"Why, yes. We have to go into town and pick out a gorgeous cocktail gown for you to wear on your date tonight."

"My...wait, what?"

The girl's brown eyes narrowed.

Aphrodite sighed. This was the last time he agreed to help Milo. The girl really didn't know she was supposed to be going on a date with Aiolia?

"With Aiolia?"

"I'm going on a date with Aiolia?", Marin asked.

"Excuse me a moment, please", Aphrodite said sweetly.

The next thing Marin heard was the Pisces Saint bashing his forehead into the wall.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: More appearances from Ghost! Aiolos ahead. His speech will look like _**this. **_I hope I don't confuse anyone. Enjoy!

After another hour of bickering and Milo tossing threats around, the group finally made it into Athens to scour the shops for suits. Aiolia appeared considerably better now that he couldn't smell the perfumes anymore, though he was still pale-faced and anxious-looking.

"I really don't want to be here", the Leo muttered, staring at the door to one of the shops as though it would come to life and eat him.

"Join the club. You think Camus, Shura, and I are here for our health?", Kanon replied.

"Well, to be fair, you were into the idea. You changed your mind when Milo started going crazy", Shura pointed out. "Do we have to go into this shop? It reaks like someone died in there."

"Why do I have to be here at all!" Camus was seriously considering ripping his hair out. Or cutting it off. He'd been considering a short cut for a while now anyway, and the more he considered, the more he found perks-certainly Milo wouldn't be able to drag Aiolia or Shura around by their hair.

"Why can't I just wear regular clothes? Jeans never killed anyone" Aiolia moaned.

Milo looked to be at his wits end.

"It's in your head, moral support, and your alternative is wearing a dress" he answered all three questions at once.

"Aiolia in a dress...", Shura said, rubbing his chin at the thought. "Somehow I don't think he'd look very good. Probably would look like a she-male. Aiolos wouldn't approve."

_**Actually, it might be pretty funny.**_

"I am NOT wearing a dress!", Aiolia huffed, his cheeks scarlet. "How could you even suggest such a thing!"

"I dunno", Kanon replied. "I am warming to the idea. But it would have to be a pink one. Brunettes usually look pretty in pink."

"No", Milo cut in, his earlier aggitation forgotten. "We'll get him a green dress, to bring out those lovely eyes of his."

"Lovely eyes, huh? If you find him so attractive, maybe you should date him", the Gemini saint teased.

"Nah. I'm not going to cut in on someone else's property, plus he's not really my type. He seems to be yours, though. You have a thing for brunettes, don't you, Kanon?"

"Milo, unless you want to be on the receiving end of his Lightning Plasma attack, I suggest you back off now. He's been very good-natured about this whole ordeal, but he's only going to take so much abuse", Camus said.

Milo waved it off with a flick of the wrist.

"He knows we're just playing around with him. Right, Aiolia?"

"There's no getting around this, is there?", Aiolia asked.

_**Doesn't appear that way, little brother. Might as well get on with it. **_

Aiolia sighed and pushed the door open. No sense in delaying the inevitable.

He stepped inside, followed closely by Milo and (against his will) Camus. Kanon walked a few steps behind, looking as though he were in pain again, while Shura hesitated outside.

"Shura, buddy, the suits aren't getting any cleaner with you standing there letting all the dirt in", Milo called.

Grumbling, the Capricorn saint walked into the store.

"Ok, now...what the hell are we even looking for?", Kanon asked, gazing around at the many racks of suits.

"Probably something about a 36 in the waist, possibly a 38. Don't think we need bigger than that. Help him pick out something that won't make him look ridiculous and I will worry about sizes later."

His bright blue eyes wandered over to the Leo Saint's direction. Said Leo Saint was currently looking at a suit in the most bizarre shade of lime green.

Kanon snorted.

"Well, you _did_ say green would bring out his eyes. Maybe Marin's told him she likes his eyes or something."

"You have green eyes, too. You go on ahead and put that thing on and tell me how wonderfully it brings them out."

"I'd rather get hit with the Scarlet Needle again"

_**You keep getting struck, you might be the first person to develop complete immunuity to the attack.**_

"A ghost with a sense of humor. I like it", Milo commented. "Why don't you talk sense into your brother?"

_**Doesn't work. Tried already.**_

"Hey, Shura", Camus said finally, tired of watching the nonsense unfold around him. "Want to cut my hair?"

Shura stared at him like he had lost his mind. Perhaps he had. But considering everything that had happened to them as of late, who could blame him?

"Are you serious?"

"Sure. Just Excalibur it right off. Right under Milo's hand."

The Capricorn Saint eyed his next-door neighbor critically.

"You'd better not regret this later"

He lifted his hand and went to slice at Camus's hair. Unfortunately, Milo chose that exact moment to move, and Shura missed. His Excalibur came down on an unsuspecting rack of Men's dress shoes. Shoes and bits of metal and wood went flying everywhere.

Milo finally seemed to notice he, Kanon, and Aiolos (sort of) weren't the only ones listening to the conversation.

"What are you doing?", he demanded of the Capricorn Saint.

"Giving Camus a haircut?"

Milo glanced at the fistful of black hair still locked in his hand.

"If you wanted to be let go, why didn't you just say so?"

He released his grasp on the Aquarius's hair. Camus frantically ran his fingers through it, trying to restore the blood flow to his scalp.

Camus knew he didn't want to relive this ordeal again. Without waiting for anyone to ask him anything, he bolted out of the shop and towards the nearest barber shop to get a much-needed haircut.

Aiolia stared after his retreating form, desperation in his eyes.

"Wait, Camus-take me with you!"

Aphrodite wasn't having much better luck with Marin. It wasn't so much that the girl was being difficult about getting a dress-she acknowledged that she didn't have any clothes that were date-worthy. It was just that she didn't want to actually wear any of the dresses when held them out to her.

"I don't know what I am looking for", the girl admitted. "I don't know what color to pick, or what length or style."

Aphrodite nodded, although inside he was thinking she was an idiot. How hard was it for a woman to find clothes?

"Don't focus so much on what the dress looks like. Focus instead on how it makes you feel when you are wearing it. When a woman is wearing an evening gown or cocktail dress, she must exude confidence. There must be an aura around her that commands attention."

"Errr..."

Aphrodite sighed and pulled a black dress big enough to fit him off the dress rack. Marin watched in confusion as the Picses Saint disappeared into one of the dressing rooms. The man emerged a few moments later, wearing the dress, and looking positively stunning in it.

He strutted over to the long mirror, appearing to all the world to be a fashion model.

A female model, Marin couldn't help but think. The built-in bra in the gown Aphrodite had chosen made him appear to have a small bust.

"You see?", he asked as he strut back towards the dressing room. "It's all in the presentation and how you carry yourself in it."

He certainly had the attention of everyone in the store, Marin gave him that. It might have been her imagination, but she could of sworn she saw a few men run off nursing their nose bleeds.

She felt a blush creep into her cheeks.

"T-Thank you for the advice, but I don't think I am going to look anywhere near as pretty as you."

The pretty man pursed his pink lips.

"Follow my advice, and you will be beautiful for your date. Here, try this on."

Marin relectantly took the dress Aphrodite offered and went into the dressing room. The Pisces Saint waited patiently for the girl to come out in it. She never did.

"Ummm...Aphrodite? Are you sure this isn't too...small? I'm afraid if I move wrong, things will show that shouldn't."

The Pisces Saint sighed and went into the dressing room himself to examine the situation.

The girl squeaked and tossed her hands over her breast area.

Aphrodite shook his head. Really, she was over-reacting.

"The dress fits fine, Marin. What's wrong with it?"

"It seems short...and tight..."

Aphrodite's eyes roamed over the knee-length dress. He honestly didn't see anything wrong with it. Only the lower half of her legs were showing. The dress bared minimal cleavage.

Still, he could tell she was uncomfortable in the dress.

"Hang on", he said. "I will find you a longer one."

He exited the dressing room, only to be ambushed by four guys.

Aphrodite cursed his luck. Just because he looked like a woman...

He forced a fake smile and looked for an opening he could slip through. There was none.

"Hey, Baby", one of the men said, grabbing his hand and kissing it. Aphrodite wished he had bleach and scalding water to wash it off. "My name is Franco. Would you like to go out for a coffee with me?"

"Sorry, I already have a boyfriend."

The words were out of Aphrodite's mouth before he could even think of what he was saying.

Fortunately, they were the perfect deterant for three of the four. They walked off, looking saddened and frightened. None of them wanted to deal with a jealous lover.

Considering the closest thing he had to a boyfriend was Deathmask, their fear was perfectly justified. A smile crossed his face as he imagined his best friend slowly peeling the faces off the men before sending them to the underworld. He laughed.

It was then he noticed Franco was still standing there, staring at him.

"Please, Ms. May I at least have your phone number?"

"No. I am not interested in you."

He turned to walk away, no longer blocked, only for Franco to grab his wrist.

His hand clenched into a fist. He wheeled back and slammed it into Franco's nose. Not hard-if Franco had been a Saint, it would have been little more than a playful tap. Unfortunately, Franco was not a Saint, and the force of the blow broke his nose.

He wheeled back, brown eyes staring at Aphrodite in horror.

"Oh, gosh!"Aphrodite cried, sarcasm dripping off his voice. "I'm so sorry."

Franco looked like he wanted to run. Aphrodite reached into hair and pulled out a white rose.

"Here, please accept my peace offering."

Franco clearly lacked brains, because he reached out and took it. Marin chose just that moment to emerge from the dressing room, back in her street clothes.

Aphrodite grabbed her wrist and spared one last glance at the man who was bleeding to death on the dress shop floor.

"Come on, Marin. We're going to go to a different shop."


	4. Chapter 4

Camus returned from his haircut a little over an hour later, not surprised in any way to discover the group had not left the suit shop. He was tempted to just bolt for it, but his loyalty towards his friends prevented him from doing so. As he closed the door behind him, he couldn't help but notice the sound of police sirens in the distance. He frowned.

"What did you do, Milo?"

The Scorpio Saint frowned.

"Actually, I think things are going well, given the circumstances. Shura's off in the corner somewhere and Kanon's about to tear his hair out, but we did get Aiolia into a suit. It's bright orange, but it's a suit."

Camus lifted an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh. And how, pray tell, does any of that count as a good thing?"

Milo's face split into a grin.

"Those police sirens aren't for us."

Camus was about to respond in the negative, then stopped himself.

"You know what? I'll give you that. After today, I am genuinely surprised they aren't for us."

At that moment, Kanon and Shura came running over. The Gemini Saint wore a mask of resignation while the Capricorn appeared ready to grab Aiolia and make a break for the Sanctuary.

"What did you do, Milo?" they both demanded at the same time.

"Why does everyone assume those police sirens are because of me!?" Milo whined.

"Let's see" Shura ticked off on his fingers. "Kidnapping, endangerment of the public, destruction of personal property, mental and emotional damages that will follow us for the rest of our lives..."

"Ummm...the damage to the store was caused by you trying to cut Camus's hair." Milo pointed out.

"Yeah, but if you hadn't been dragging me around by my hair, Shura wouldn't have had to cut it. Therefore, it's your fault." Camus hid a smile with the palm of his hand.

"I hope you saved the hair you cut off", Kanon mumbled. "I might need a wig by the time this is over."

"And where is Aiolia?", Milo demanded, suddenly noticing one of their own was missing.

"He refused to come out of the dressing room", Kanon replied.

Milo sighed and crossed over to the dressing rooms. Camus and Kanon shrugged and followed, figuring the worst of the damage had to have been done already. Shura let out a stream of Spanish that Camus assumed was not friendly for the ears of children and walked behind the Aquarius and Gemini Saints. Camus had the feeling if Milo did not allow the Capricorn saint to leave soon, someone's head would literally be rolling off.

"Aiolia?", Milo called as he knocked on the door to Aiolia's dressing room.

"Go away!", the Leo Saint cried.

"Come on, Aiolia, you can't hide in there forever!" Milo yelled.

"It won't be forever! Just until you guys leave!"

"Believe me, kid. I would if I could", Kanon said.

Milo shot the Gemini a glare. Kanon shrugged it off.

"What? I'm being honest."

"Well, stop being honest today!" Milo coughed into his sleeve and forced his usual smile back onto his face. "Aiolia. We're trying to help you. Please come out."

"You want to help me by making me look like an idiot?" Aiolia sounded both hurt and upset. "I can't go on a date with Marin. I will just end up making a fool out of myself and then she will hate me..."

The Leo Saint was babbling now.

"...I don't want her to hate me guys. I'd rather continue on just being friends with her than that."

"That's so sweet. I could never hate you, Aiolia."

The flabbergasted group spun around to see Marin and Aphrodite standing behind them.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE!?", Milo screeched.

Aiolia cautiously poked his head out of the dressing room to look at Marin. The girl wore a knee-length pink skirt and a white blouse with white sandals. Her hair fell in a straight sheet around her face. She looked amazing.

"Why are you hiding?", Marin asked, ignoring the commotion going on behind her.

Aiolia let go of the door and revealed himself to her. She chuckled.

"You look nice."

"So do you", Aiolia replied. He raked his fingers through his golden brown curls and smiled.

"I hate to break up this love fest", Kanon said, grabbing Aiolia by the scruff of his jacket and Marin by her wrist. "But we've got to go. Those police sirens were for Aphrodite."

That snapped the lovebirds out of their spell.

"What?" Marin asked.

"I may have used a Bloody Rose on someone. Or I may not have. There's no proof I killed anyone. For all they know, he had a bad allergy to roses."

Aphrodite crossed his arms, not looking the least bit sorry for his actions.

Aiolia's and Marin's faces both drained of color. The Pisces Saint rolled his eyes.

"He had it coming. He was a pig and deserved it."

"Great. Just wonderful", Milo muttered. He stared at Camus and Shura, both of whom looked too shocked to move. His attention shifted back to the Gemini Saint. "You're handling the situation well, Kanon."

Kanon released his hold on the still-stunned couple.

"And what would you like me to do, Milo? Freak out? Because Mr. Pretty Boy here can't control his temper and killed some innocent civilian in broad daylight? Because thanks to him, the cops are now likely to arrest all of us?"

"Well...when you put it that way...yes, actually." Milo replied.

Aphrodite scoffed.

"I hardly count him as 'innocent'."

Kanon shot the Pisces Saint a glare. Then, without warning, the Gemini Saint's fist collided with the Pisces Saint's jaw. Aphrodite's soft blue eyes widened in horror as he pushed a slim hand to his mouth to wipe the blood away from his lip.

"That's your cue to stop talking."

Kanon's green eyes danced with anger. He then reeled on Milo, and for a moment, the Scorpio Saint thought Kanon was going to deck him in the face, too.

"You're running this circus, aren't you? Well, help me get these people out of here!"

"Right!", Milo cried, taking control of the situation again. "Alright, everyone. We go out the back door and high-tail it back to the Sanctuary."

The group had barely made it two steps when they heard the sirens right outside the shop.

"We have the building surrounded! Come out with your hands where we can see them!"

Aiolia threw his hands in the air. Kanon pushed them down.

"You haven't even done anything wrong, you idiot!" he snapped.

The Gemini Saint shoved Aphrodite to the front of the line and towards the police officers.

"Here you go, gentlemen. This is the person you're looking for."

Aphrodite nodded back at the rest of the group.

"They made me do it! I was a pawn in their plan!" He pointed dramatically at Kanon. "Look, he busted my lip!"

"You-!" Kanon snarled.

Marin grabbed his wrist to prevent him from lunging at Aphrodite again.

"This is all a big misunderstanding, Officers." she said, smiling slightly. "These boys had good intentions, but it got out of hand."

For a moment, it looked like the police were considering letting them go.

Then the officer who was apparently in charge shook his head.

"Sorry, little lady. I have to take you all down to the police station and get this sorted out."

Milo bit his lip, struggling to contain his laughter. He couldn't believe they were actually being arrested! He knew he should be upset, but as the officers put handcuffs on his wrists, all he wanted to do was laugh.

Aphrodite kicked up a fuss for a few moments, but when Kanon threatened to deck the other side of his face, he calmed down and held out his wrists for the officers to cuff him.

Camus sighed, resigned to his fate, and allowed the officers to slip handcuffs onto his wrists without much of a fuss.

Marin and Aiolia followed his example, then Kanon, and finally, Shura. Shura glared daggers at Milo the whole time, the Spanish man's dark eyes promising slow, painful vengeance once they were released.

The group was then placed into police cars and whisked off to the police station. Once they arrived, their wrist restraints were removed, and they were given their one phone call. Kanon called Saga and explained the situation as calmly as he could to his elder twin brother. The younger Gemini even smiled as he recalled the part where he punched Aphrodite in the face.

Saga instructed them not to say anything and to have one of them call Athena. None of them were exactly thrilled with the idea of making that phone call. Aiolia suggested they draw straws to see who would be the one who had to do it. Shura rejected that idea instantly.

Marin volunteered, but no one wanted her to do it since it wasn't her fault. Kanon and Milo felt Aphrodite should do it, since he was the one who lost his temper. Aphrodite and Shura thought Milo should do it since he was the one who orchestrated the whole idea to begin with. Camus didn't care who made the phone call, as long as it got made before his twenty-second birthday.

In the end, it was Milo who was forced to make the call to a very flabbergasted goddess. Shaka had regained consciousness and had gone directly to the girl, so she already had some idea of what was going on.

After what seemed like only minutes, Athena came rushing into the station to collect her Saints. Of course when an important woman like Saori Kido comes to collect people, you don't question it. The group was set free with "apologies for the misunderstanding".

Once back at the Sanctuary, Athena dismissed Aiolia, Marin, Camus, and Shura from punishment. She told Milo, Kanon, and Aphrodite to return to their temples and remain there until she and Saga were ready to deal with them.

Aiolia tipped his head to the side and smiled at Marin.

"I know it's a little late...but would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

The girl slipped her hand into his.

"I would love that."

A/N: And that is the end of this mess. Sorry if the ending seemed rushed, I wanted to get this thing done. I've been losing interest in it and wanted it to be completed before I gave up on it all together. Hope you enjoyed this story. Thank you for all who reviewed and followed it! You guys are the best!


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